MOTORISTS are set to face delays when two schemes to improve one of Braintree's most congested roundabouts begin this month.
A £75,000 project at the Marks Farm roundabout, where the A120, the A131 and Coggeshall Road meet, is due to start this month, with lane closures and temporary speed limits to be imposed.
This will be followed by a second scheme to ease traffic to include changes to traffic signs and road markings at the junction and on the approach roads, as well as minor changes to the kerb on the A131.
Councillor Lady Newton, cabinet member for planning and property at Braintree District Council, said: "With continued growth in housing and the local economy within the district it is important that the road infrastructure is up to standard, and as members of the Haven Gateway Partnership A120 campaign we continue to actively lobby for improvements to the A120 and Galley's Corner and Marks Farm roundabout."
Previous improvements to the roundabout were made in October 2011 to relieve congestion on the westbound A120, adding additional width to the B1256 Coggeshall Road.
However, new traffic data collected by the Highways Agency shows that since opening there have been safety concerns about the new layout and significant new congestion on the A131 approach.
These new additional safety improvements to the Marks Farm roundabout will be funded by supermarket Tesco as a condition for its planning approval for store improvements, and are designed to allow for safe access the store.
Work will begin once funding has been approved, thought to be before the end of November.
During the works the existing road markings will be replaced with a new layout. New signs will be installed on the verges to clarify the changes and there will be a change to the kerb on the A131 stretch leading up to the junction.
The Highways Agency says the aim of the scheme is to change the way drivers use the roundabout to make it safer and reduce the risk of accidents.
However, the work will not resolve the bigger problem of the high levels of queuing traffic on the A131 approach to the roundabout. The agency added that it is looking to bring forward bigger changes at some point in the future.
In January £650,000 of improvements were made to another roundabout on the A120, Galleys Corner, but motorists are still suffering high levels of congestion and regular accidents.
Braintree District Council leader Cllr Graham Butland has long campaigned for the dualling of the A120. He said: "The A120 needs more than a couple of inches added to the roundabout, the only long term solution would be a new line for the A120 from Panners Farm to the A12 near Marks Tey."
